Imagine if your Secret Santa was one of the richest people in the world.
For one Redditor, that’s exactly what happened.
Shelby, who asked "GMA" not disclose her last name, works in marketing in Michigan. She’s been an avid Reddit user since 2002. Thanks to the Redditgifts exchange online, Shelby’s Secret Santa was none other than Bill Gates.
“Bill Gates, you are a blessing,” Shelby wrote in a Redditgifts post that detailed the whole story.
Redditgifts is an online gift exchange through the platform in which strangers from around the world can exchange gifts with one another.
“Think about that for a second: 200,000 internet strangers from 141 different countries put their faith in one another and sent gifts around the world. Pretty awesome, right?” it says on the Redditgifts page.
Users can create a profile in which they answer questions about their interests. Later they are matched with someone on the platform who can mail them a gift according to their likes and interests.
Since 2013, Shelby has participated in 95 gift exchanges, some that happen throughout the year. She’s received thoughtful gifts like local goodies from a person’s hometown. She says it's not really about the gift, but the thought behind it.
“It's a lot of fun to learn about a stranger and try and dive into their interest and find the perfect gift for them,” she told "GMA." “I do it just as a hobby. I have something to get in the mail other than bills and junk mail.”
On Dec. 17, Shelby received an alert saying that her RedditGifts Secret Santa package was on its way.
“I jokingly said to my husband, 'Oh my god what if it's from Bill Gates. Haha, you know, he lives there,’” she said.
The next morning, Shelby went to pick up the 81-pound package from FedEx but was unable to fit it in her car. She said she and a FedEx employee lugged the package back into the store where she opened it in front of eager employees and patrons.
“I have felt like I’ve been on another planet the past few days and I still cannot believe how lucky/cool/honored/all the adjectives I am to have had someone craft such a special and personal set of gifts just for little ol’ me,” Shelby wrote in a post on Redditgifts.
Her gift included a handmade quote with scenes from the Zelda franchise, hardcover novels, some of which were on her reading list and some of which were recommendations from Gates. She also received memorabilia from the TV show "Twin Peaks" including scripts and a jacket worn by crew members during the second season.
Shelby also got a manuscript of "The Great Gatsby," her favorite novel, which includes personal notes from F. Scott Fitzgerald.
But the most touching gift was a donation made to the American Heart Association by Gates in honor of Shelby’s mom who died in March, just 10 days before Shelby got married.
“It's just the fact that he thought to do that is really means a lot to me,” she said.
Reddit posted on Twitter, saying, “Raise your hand if matching with Bill Gates for #RedditGifts Secret Santa is a life goal. 🙋♀️Just when she needed it most, one lucky giftee (u/szor) struck Secret Santa gold & was blessed with the Christmas of a lifetime. Well done, @BillGates.”
Raise your hand if matching with Bill Gates for #RedditGifts Secret Santa is a life goal. 🙋♀️Just when she needed it most, one lucky giftee (u/szor) struck Secret Santa gold & was blessed with the Christmas of a lifetime. Well done, @BillGates. https://t.co/pZelK3ao9v pic.twitter.com/RY4DrKHU6g
— Reddit (@reddit) December 21, 2019
Redditors congratulated Shelby for the big gift she got after a rough year. User JustBeReasonable13 said Shelby definitely deserved a “pickmeup.”
“Congrats! It sounds like you got the perfect match after a rough year. I’m glad to see you smiling and happy!” another user said.
In her Redditgifts post, Shelby said it was “hard to drum up holiday spirit this year” but Gates' gift really changed it all.
“It means so much to me that he actually took time out of his busy schedule to learn about a complete stranger and try and make my day,” she said.
